Search Results for: blog mixed feelings on first day of school

Emotional Preparation for School

So it’s a new school year and while as a parent you might be a little excited about your teens going back, they may not feel the same way. Think about it. As your teen gets older, there are new problems and stresses to face. Classes tend to get more difficult and they are getting that much closer to their future as an adult. They may have had problems last year that they are sure will be worse this year. It’s important to help prepare your teen. It goes beyond taking them school clothes shopping or making sure you have … Continue reading →

A Smooth Start to the School Year

It seems kind of silly to me to start school before Labor Day. Although my daughter did get in three full days of school, my senior just had two and my youngest had one and a half. Oh, that’s another thing…those dreaded half days. But that’s another story. So the kids got a taste of school and then immediately enjoyed three days off. And so far it looks like its going to be a good start. I had quite a few concerns about my daughter starting high school, especially since she was coming from such a different environment. Admittedly, some … Continue reading →

My Daughter’s Transition to High School

How is it that dropping my daughter off for her first day of high school almost felt like the first day of kindergarten? How is it that I spent more time awake in the middle of the night than she probably did…worrying about the transition? I was doing pretty okay about all of this until we attended her Open House the night before. All of my kids brought their supplies to put them into their lockers. No one had any trouble opening their locks. We then took their schedules and went to each class, meeting the teachers. But with my … Continue reading →

Readjusting Teen’s Sleep for the Start of School

Welcome back to reality…the days of sleeping in are over and let me tell you, this is not easy for teenagers. To make matters worse, where the high school used to start at 7:40 a.m., it is now starting at 7:30 a.m. Yes, those 10 minutes really do make a difference to a teen. I remember when my children were younger it was much easier to get them adjusted back to school hours. I put them to bed earlier and woke them up earlier. Now I don’t have the luxury of putting my children to bed. Sure, I can tell … Continue reading →

Back to School Anxiety & Emotions

Do a Google search on this topic and you’re likely to come across a ton of news stories, blogs, opinions, etc. I thought I better throw my hat into the ring, so my readers would not be left out. The person quoted the most on these various sites is Samuel Gladding, who is a professor at Wake Forest University. He offers 6 tips for helping with back to school anxiety and is summarized by Bradenton.com. The fact that these articles keep popping up on my alerts daily was funny to me, as I think I have more anxiety than my … Continue reading →

Back To School On A Budget

When I leave for work in the morning I can tell fall is on the way. A few short weeks ago it was light out at 5:45, now it’s dark, and there is a chill in the air that reminds me the seasons are changing. Although I don’t really need the weather or lack of morning light to tell me, all I have to do is walk in any store and be bombarded with the back to school displays. The first school year that I was divorced was so stressful, where was the money going to come from? Hailey was … Continue reading →

Mixed Feelings on First Day of School

Last week I had to register my children for school. I have such mixed feelings about the first day of school. I have some sadness in knowing that it’s the last year of high school for my oldest and the first year of high school for my daughter. But at the same time I am excited about what is to come. My daughter continues to have reluctant feelings about the whole thing. Her attitude hasn’t been the most positive but I have a good feeling about everything. I really do believe she is going to enjoy her high school…but I … Continue reading →

Activities Fostering an Appreciation of Other Cultures in Elementary and Middle-school Students

My last blog discussed activity ideas for helping young children become comfortable with racial diversity. Here are some ideas for teachers of elementary and middle school students: –Make sure they know the science of skin color. A good book is All the Colors We Are: The story of How We Get Our Skin Color. This is a bilingual (English/Spanish) book with photographs and simple explanations. –I like to follow or precede a discussion of the science of skin color with an artistic or aesthetic look at the beauty of different skin colors. I like All the Colors of the Earth, … Continue reading →

Talking About Death With Your Preschooler

Today, I spent a lot of the day in the hospital with my daughter. We were visiting a family member who has cancer. I had mixed feelings about taking my daughter, mostly because I knew that others would be around who might be upset about her questions about death. It’s hard to stop a four-year-old from asking questions, even if they aren’t socially appropriate at that particular time. Everything went well. We came with a small gift she had made, she went for a little walk around the hospital, and I chatted. I know that at some point, our relative … Continue reading →

Mixed Feelings for a Child Member of the Majority Minority

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I recently wrote about Meg’s comment that she wanted to wear sunscreen because she didn’t like her skin getting darker. Today I showed my children the statistics from the website for If the World were a Village, after the book by geography teacher David Smith. The girls were incredibly thrilled to learn that they were among the majority of the world’s people. First I asked my older daughter, “Would you say more of the kids at school look like you or like Patrick?” She hesitated. “Like Patrick,” she said. I nodded. “But if you look at the whole world, more … Continue reading →